Destiny Bond
by Blacknovelist
Summary: The start of an end, the end of a beginning. (Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky AU)


**A/N: I'm forever saddened by the fact that the events of Red/Blue Rescue Team were never mentioned or referenced in the Explorers games, so I decided to fix that in this whole AU crossover by adding Lucario, who was said to be the greatest explorer and was ALSO never mentioned again after B/RRT, then mixing and fusing everything together until I question everything I've done, because I love Overthinking and Making AU's Wild and Complicated.**

 **ANYWAY this is, chronologically, the "first" in the Heroes of Time series, since it covers Izuku arriving in the past. It involves someone else, but that's Spoilers. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The first thing he heard was the ocean beside him.

It's rumbling louder than anything he's ever heard before, like he's lying in the surf itself as it washed over the sand. For a moment he wondered if the waves would sweep over him too, to whisk him off where no one would see him again... but it never came. Instead he remained perfectly dry and the sea continued as it was, at peace and much further than he thought. Why was it so loud if it was far away?

Through the dull ache in his body and the fog of his thoughts, he took stock. He was lying on a beach, probably. Something warm and bright and utterly alien sank into his bones from... somewhere, and it made the ground much more comfortable than it has any right to be. There wasn't really a reason to get up, and so he didn't - he simply basked in that warmth, listened to the roll of the ocean as it drowned out the ringing in his ears and gradually replaced it with the caw of birds above and crash of water on rock. Something about all this felt so special somehow, like a fragile illusion of something he'd never experienced, only dreamed of.

His careful grip on consciousness slipped, and he faded away to the vibrant and unfamiliar rhythm of the world around him.

* * *

 _It's warm here,_ is the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up, followed by, _if it stays this warm can I stay here forever?_

Drifting in through a haze of strange noise are voices, unfamiliar to Izuku. There's two people talking around and over each other, one a girl and one a boy, barely audible over the soft rumble beside him and the cawing high above.

"Do you think he's okay?" The girl asks.

"I'm not sure," says the boy, "nothing's happened yet." A beat. "Ochako, shouldn't we get the doctor, instead of crouching over him like this? What if he really is hurt-"

"No, wait. I think he's waking up." There's the crunch of rock underfoot. Warmth is replaced by something cooler.

"Excuse me, are you alright? Can you open your eyes?"

Izuku does as the voice asks, and immediately focuses on the ground underneath him. It's all gritty, and made of little brown rocks that he's pretty sure he's never seen before. Or at least, not this many in one place, he thinks. Who knew rocks could be more colors than grey and gray?

"Oh good!" Something fuzzy and brown is next to him, with long twitching ears and a swaying tail and the lightest voice he's ever heard. He touches the aura that she exudes and thinks, _it's so kind_. "You aren't hurt, right?"

"Uh." His voice cracks, and he tries again. "No, I don't think so."

The eevee nods, and steps back. "That's good. Do you think you can sit up?"

"Mm, maybe?" Izuku squeaks. His arms shake as he pushes at the soft ground, and a taller shape moves towards him.

"Are you in need of assistance?" A mouth full of teeth asks, short arms waving, and he can't help but nod automatically at the force. The stranger's arms are a lighter blue than Izuku's fur, which he'd never thought possible before. But this newcomer doesn't even have fur - only hard scales and red spikes and claws that wrap around his arms and tug him upright, gentle as can be. This one's aura is kind, too, and Izuku relaxes.

"Thanks."

"My pleasure." The totodile pauses, watching Izuku as he steadies, then lets go. "You truly are unhurt, yes? You weren't just saying so to put us at ease?"

"Um, I'm pretty sure. I feel fine." He looks at them both, then up. The sky is awash with bright pinks and oranges and the faintest strips of blue, bubbles drifting through the last rays of sun. For a moment, Izuku is dazzled. His head feels faded, but he's never seen or felt the world so sharply in his life.

"I'm glad you're okay," the eevee girl says, and he looks back at her. "We just found you lying here, not moving at all, and we didn't know what to do. I don't recognize you from around town, though, and riolu don't usually visit these parts. What's your name?"

"Oh, um... I'm Izuku," he mumbles.

Ochako frowns. "Deku?"

"No, Izuku," he repeats. "Izuku M-Midoriya. But you can call me Deku if you want, I don't mind!" Izuku quickly adds as she apologizes. It surprises him that he means it. "I don't think I've had a nickname before. It's okay."

"If you're sure," she says slowly. Then, when he doesn't take it back, she beams. "It's nice to meet you then, Deku! I'm Ochako, and this is Tenya!"

"Indeed, it is nice to meet you Izuku!" Tenya booms, arms waving. Izuku is glad the totodile doesn't seem to be in the habit of swinging his tail too. Ochako doesn't even seem to notice her friend's exuberance, ducking under flailing limbs with a practiced ease. "Though, I must ask - how did you end up on the beach in the first place? This is no place to be taking a nap."

"Right! Right, that's true, it really isn't. A good place to sleep, I mean." Izuku nods, watching the sea for a moment before dragging his eyes away. He doesn't mention that lying there had been quite comfortable. "I was just... um." He blinks. "I was... I wanted to... What did I want? I was going to do... something."

"...Deku?" Ochako calls. "Is something wrong?"

He waves a paw. "I just, I know I came here- I'm here to- there was... something I'm supposed to..." Izuku blinks again, and his shoulders drop. "Oh," he breathes. "I really can't. I just, don't remember."

"You... don't remember why you came here?" Tenya asks.

"No! Well, yes, yes I don't remember why I came here, but it isn't just that." Izuku frowns, patting his cheek a few times. "I can't... I don't remember anything. At all. I know who I am and what I am. I know that's called the sea, and this is what's called a beach, but I've never seen anything like it in my life, and that doesn't really make sense, but it kind of does to me, even though I don't remember. And I've never seen rocks that were _red_ before either, which I don't entirely understand since clearly many rocks here are red, so I have to have seen rocks like them before, and yet I can only think this is my first time seeing them. Plus, I don't know where I came from, or why I'm here, and I know by shape that those things are trees-" he waved vaguely towards the path up the beach- "but I feel like they don't look like trees I've ever seen - or at least, I wasn't used to seeing these trees before I lost my memory - because they look so weird to me but nothing else comes to mind as far as what they could be and who knows what else I don't recognize. I'm not hurt right _now_ , I would know, but I don't know anything other than who I am and what my name is, and that leads me to believe something happened to me that caused this and there's only so many things that _could_ have caused this kind of memory loss, but I don't even know what they'd be because I can't remember anything..."

Tenya and Ochako look at each other, startled, as Izuku mumbles in circles about all the things he doesn't remember and what could have happened to drop him here, foot tapping in the sand and paw muffling his words.

"Excuse me," Tenya says eventually, and Izuku startles hard. He almost falls over, if not for Ochako pushing at his back and Tenya snagging his arms. "I'm sorry, Izuku, I didn't mean to scare you so badly!"

"I-It's okay," Izuku says once he's back on two feet. "Sorry. I didn't mean to go on for so long..."

"That's not a problem, I simply thought I should speak up before the sun goes down." He clears his throat. "What we're hearing, though, is that you have no clue how you've gotten here, yes?"

A nod. Something brushes against Izuku's senses briefly before Ochako brings his attention back.

"And you don't remember anything else about yourself, either?"

"Pretty much."

They both squint, studying him. Then Ochako and Tenya nod, and Izuku tries not to look relieved when they stop staring quite so hard.

"You seem like you're telling the truth," Ochako says. "Sorry, but we just need to be sure - there's been an awful lot of bad pokemon out there lately." She pauses. "Though I guess it's kind of silly to be wondering whether or not a riolu is good or bad. You and lucario do have a reputation for being trustworthy."

"It never hurts to be cautious!" Tenya declares. "But nonetheless. Izuku, I think I am right when I say you don't have a place to go or stay, correct?"

"Even if I did, I don't exactly remember it right now."

"Well! As it happens, Ochako and I are-" He yelps, cut off and pinwheeling as he tries to keep his balance.

Things move quickly, but Izuku figures it goes something like this:

From behind, two dark figures (the ones he'd sensed?) ram into Ochako and Tenya, sending their things flying as they fall on Izuku. One of them snatches the bags, cackling, before darting after their companion and disappearing into the caves nearby.

Then a bright and burning blur streaks after them, howling curses and swearing revenge. Still sitting on the sand, the three pokemon blink.

"Was that Katsuki?" Ochako stares, then jolts, and looks down. "Wait, our stuff! Those guys took our stuff!"

"Let's hurry!" Tenya jumps to his feet. Then he bows. "Izuku, please wait here."

With more speed than Izuku would've expected, he dashes into the cave. Ochako hurries after him.

"We'll be back in a minute!" She throws over her shoulder, and now it's Izuku's turn to yelp as he scrambles up.

"A-ah, wait, wait for me!"

* * *

"Well, this is a bit of a mess, isn't it?" the heliolisk grumbled. He prodded at the bandages, eliciting winces from the pokemon in front of him. "Your partner, who is apparently a child because for some reason Nana thought it would be fine, is currently missing in action, and Arceus-only-knows where he is now. Meanwhile, you've ended up _several decades_ ahead of schedule, making everyone's jobs that much harder in a timeline sense, thank you very much, and you can barely use Dimensionall properly. Do you realize the mess this is gonna make and how hard it's gonna be to cover things up? What in the world were you and Nana thinking, kid?"

"I don't even know anymore," the lucario moaned, shifting position and regretting it immediately. An oran berry was promptly offered to him. "It wasn't even our fault. One moment everything is fine, the next we're somehow under attack, and I wasn't about to let him get hit when I had no clue what that would do to him."

"He probably would've taken those hits better than you did, blondie. You're lucky the only thing that got scrambled was your species," Gran Torino said. He gave the taller pokemon a look. "You're also lucky Nana did the smart thing and called in, or you would still be wandering on the beach, bleeding out and delirious."

"Yes, yes, I'm making terrible life decisions, I've realized that. At this point I'm pretty sure that all this-" one paw waved vaguely at the trees surrounding them- "has made me go into shock and that's the only reason I'm still conscious." He sighed, taking a bite of the berry. "But honestly, what am I going to do now? I can barely walk in this form, let alone go asking around if anyone has met a very specific pokemon in their lifetimes. We don't even know if he'll be dropped in this era!"

"Oh, relax. There's entire jobs focused on rescuing people and exploring new places, I'll help you get your leg up in them. If your partner is around here, there'll be reports, no doubt. And even if he isn't, you won't be sitting on your ass being useless this way. Explorers hear all sorts of things out there."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But before that..." Torino grinned. "You're of no use to anyone if you can't even move. Soon as you're in good enough condition, we're doing training."

He thought, _how hard could it be?_

Quite difficult, apparently.

* * *

"Be careful," Tenya whispers as Ochako peers around a corner. The mystery dungeon swarms with hostile pokemon, which makes keeping up much harder than it needs to be. Izuku tries to look for the auras of the thieves and the one who was chasing them, pointing them in the right direction while Tenya and Ochako run him through a crash course in exploring and fighting.

"It's clear," Ochako says after a moment, and they dart into the room before the wandering shellos decides to turn back. "They're this way, right Deku?"

"Yeah," Izuku says. "Ka- uh, Katsuki? He has a really distinct aura."

"I suppose that's a good thing, in this case. Thank you for helping us, Izuku." Tenya bows again. "You certainly didn't have to become involved, but your help right now is absolutely invaluable!"

"Um, you're welcome. I just, didn't think I could stay there knowing you were in here trying to get your things back when you've already done a lot to help me, too."

"Well, thank you," Ochako repeats, smiling. "This would me way harder without you, you know!" She nudges Izuku, then bounds deeper into the caves. The two hurry after her, and they arrive at the large cavern that marks the end just in time to see a very angry quilava plow right through the koffing and zubat hovering in front of him. Several bags and trinkets soar through the air and sink into the sand.

"You thought you could get away from ME, huh?!" Katsuki snarls, flames bursting from his back. "I'll show you!"

"Katsuki!" Tenya calls, and all of them turn to look at him.

"The hell are you two doing here, snaggletooth, furball? Who's the dumb blue standing back there?"

"This is Deku, he's a friend of ours," Ochako says. Izuku gives a small wave.

"You two!" Tenya stares down the thieves. "What do you think you're doing, running into people and taking their things?"

"Uh, you know, stealing?" Koffing replies. "That's the point."

"We figured you guild kids might have some good stuff to sell," zubat adds. "Didn't expect fireball to come rushin' after us like that."

"Well when you run around stealing, you better be ready for the damn consequences," Katsuki growls. "So just DIE ALREADY!"

He springs forward full-tilt, tackles zubat to the ground, and launches a flamethrower that koffing only barely manages to avoid by diving to the side. Then Tenya follows with a water gun that strikes home, and Izuku and Ochako jump in so as to not be left out.

Despite being outnumbered the two are quick and tricky, easily floating out of reach and zipping through the air. Fangs scrape across Tenya's scales and disappear before he can even blink. A swift attack grazes zubat when a quick attack misses, and in response koffing puffs out a massive smog that catches Izuku in the middle. Katsuki only scoffs, flames burning hotter as he lets loose another flamethrower, and the resulting drafts disperse the smoky air in seconds. Ochako and Tenya move in immediately, smacking koffing away. Izuku coughs, shaking off what little poison made its way into his system, and instinctively allows his senses to reach outward.

The image that blooms in his eyes and mind is almost overwhelming. Everything glimmers with an inner light, drowning the soft reds and yellows of the seaside cave in the same shades as the sky. He looks ahead, and watches rich blue-silver and bright light-dark pink spark against the sickly purple-yellow. Then he looks to the side and sees twisting orange-red preparing for the perfect blow against their target, a sly indigo-green creeping behind him.

Izuku isn't aware of the world around him dimming back into the shades and colors he's used to, nor the pump of his legs and the glow of power in his paws. There's only Katsuki and the pokemon he doesn't notice, it's wings drawn back as it prepares to strike, the beat of his own heart as he draws one arm back and springs up with a battle cry.

"RRRAGGH!"

His brick break sends zubat tumbling, and he crashes into the sand with a squawk. Without missing a beat Katsuki whirls, his flamethrower blistering, and it's only the rage in his eyes that tells Izuku how little he appreciates the attempted sneak attack. Koffing startles when his partner falls, allowing Ochako and Tenya to bring him down with a devastating swift-water gun combo.

When koffing floats back up, it's clear he can barely manage. Katsuki stalks over to the fluttering zubat, and lightly plants a paw on his head.

"Get up and I'll roast your ears off," he says. Zubat squeaks, and carefully goes still.

"Don't resist, and we won't have any reason to keep fighting," Tenya says, harsh gaze locked on koffing.

"M-man, you goody-two-shoes' are tougher than you look," koffing says, wilting under the stare. He looks over the four and his downed comrade several times, then sinks even lower and comes without a word.

Izuku walks behind Katsuki and keeps an eye on the bat, having been rebuked when he offered to help. He carries the recovered goods, doing his best to keep them from dragging in the sand. It's still bright out when they make it back to the beach, and Izuku can't help but be amazed again by the vibrant sky.

Then Izuku looks back at the others, just in time to see koffing use a burst of gas to launch himself out of Tenya and Ochako's grips like a ballistic rocket. He smashes straight into Katsuki and zubat, before erratically floating up and over the cliffs to freedom. Zubat swoops after him and barely dodges everyone's grasping hands, cackling as he darts away.

"See you next time, losers!"

Katsuki explodes, both literally and figuratively, screaming and spitting curses as they all back away. The sky is half dark before he stops, declares his intent to head back, and stalks away, still giving off enough heat to be felt halfway across the beach.

It's silent, save for the crash of the waves. Then Ochako snorts, and none of them can keep from collapsing in laughter, struck senseless by the whole situation. Tenya reclaims their things from Izuku, who is more than happy to share his load with the two of them, and it doesn't take long to return the rest of the stolen belongings because the rest of the victims have all gathered in the crossroads, attracted by Katsuki's yelling.

"So," Ochako says, once the sun is almost gone and everyone else has left. "Any thoughts on what you're gonna do now, Deku?"

Izuku thinks for a moment. "Well, joining the guild is likely my best bet. Do they let in any random pokemon their students advocate for?"

"Only if a team is cleared for recruitment," Tenya says. "But don't worry, this is different. After all you've done to help, and considering the issue with your memory, there's no way they wouldn't let you become a student if we ask, I'm sure of it!"

"And if they don't, I'll sneak you in anyway, don't worry." Ochako winks.

Izuku just laughs.

* * *

The sun was blinding, even as it sank further down the horizon.

The lucario sat behind the sage-like psychic type, patiently awaiting council. He swept a particularly irritating bit of fur out of his face and behind him, Gran Torino flopped to the ground.

"Call me when something interesting starts happening," he grumbled, leaning back.

"You need to work on your patience," the lucario said. He started to turn, only to remind himself of why exactly that was a terrible idea. ( _Why is it **always** my middle?_) "Nighteye's foresight into our next course of action is vital."

"Doesn't make it any less boring. Besides, I'm pretty sure you could've come up here all by your lonesome even with that stupid hole in your gut. Why'd you need an old biddy like me coming along?"

"You would have yelled at me if I left you behind!"

"No I wouldn't."

"The knowledge I have for one of you is just as well off being heard by both of you, so please stop arguing about it."

The two snapped to attention as Sir Nighteye spread one wing, eyes locked on the setting sun. "The one you're looking for hasn't arrived yet," he said without further preamble. "I cannot pinpoint when exactly he will land, but when he does, he'll be lost. He needs a teacher."

"Does it matter who?" Torino asked. The lucario twitched. "Because if I'm going to get roped into teaching another brat, count me out."

"No," Nighteye said. "All will be as it must. You don't no need to worry about what fate requires from you, Gran Torino. But you..." He turned. "You're the sole member of an exceptional rescue team, the greatest explorer the world has ever seen, hiding from your enemies in plain sight. The future is too chaotic to see into deeply, but I know that you're destined to do much more than wander around, waiting to act. You know that too, even if your current options are quite limited."

"What if I do some research, then?" The lucario asked. "I don't know when the paralysis is going to begin, but the more we know about where to start the better our chances become, even if the lack of disturbances makes it difficult to pinpoint anything. Rescues and expeditions don't need to be my life - there's so many young pokemon out there with the potential to be better than I ever was. I'm just an old bag of bones, and I'm not worried for our future with them on the case."

"If you're old, what am I?" Torino snorted. "If Nana could see you now, ready to keel over any second."

"That's a good start." Nighteye nodded slowly, pointedly ignoring Gran Torino. "Most of it, at least. For now, though, you will be the first."

"The... first?"

"Of many." He stared the lucario in the eye, unblinking and unflinching. "You will be the benchmark against which everyone will be seen. Your influence will spread far beyond what you anticipated, with your humble goals and beginnings. You needn't to worry about where the world will take you. Everything will fall into place with time."

And with that Sir Nighteye shooed them away, leaving them to camp among the cliffs below. As Torino dozed off, the lucario looked up at the stars, and not for the first time marvelled at how different this view was from the one back home. He wondered if his missing friend has seen this same sky yet, and if he was just as amazed by the world that used to be as he was.

Morning found Torino opening his eyes and seeing his companion, who was still gazing at the ever-fading night. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"A little," he replied absently, one paw running over fresh bandages and the rough scar-patched fur peeking out from underneath. "But that's not important right now. Listen, I have an idea."

* * *

"Woah..." Izuku swivels, eyes tracing over the rough stone walls and wooden beams. _To support all the weight,_ he thinks, along with _who in the world designed this?_ "I knew the cliffs we're tall, but I didn't realize they were this big underneath. How many floors are there?"

"Between you and me, I haven't got a clue - I never bothered counting," their noivern guide, Hizashi, says. "It's really something though, isn't it kid?" He stops at one of the doorways in the hall before Izuku can think of answering. "This here is what we call the rec room. If you're asking whether the 'rec' stands for recreation or recruitment, my answer is yes. Inko's the one in charge here - you won't meet a nicer pokemon, but when you make her angry she's scary as _heck_. So, you know, make sure you don't."

"Um, okay?"

"He means that this is where non-guild team members are registered for exploration and other guild duties, without being made part of the guild itself," Tenya explains, pushing past them to stand inside the room and gesture. "Some pokemon may wish to lend you their expertise without being bound by the heavy rules and regulations of being part of the guild - that's why we have recruitment systems."

"As succinct an explanation as ever, Tenya! Well done!" Hizashi turns back to Izuku. "All exploration and rescue teams must have at least one guild-trained member among their ranks, for safety reasons," he says. "It's a fairly new regulation compared to how long explorers have been a thing, but they're pretty strict on enforcing it. That way, not just anyone can declare themselves rescuers and start getting request mail - it prevents anyone who is under-experienced from heading out and getting themselves hurt, got it?"

"I think so."

"Then let's move on with his tour!" Hizashi whirls around and flutters down the hall, leaving the three scrambling to keep up. "There's only a few more rooms I need to show you, and knowing Shouta like I do, he's probably already done clearing you with the big guy anyway."

"H-he is?" Izuku twitches. "Are you sure it's okay for me to be here and looking around if we don't know if I'm part of the guild yet?"

"Of course it is, kid, relax." Hizashi waves. "We let people come see the facilities without joining all the time - it's not some exclusive club, you know. Besides, I'll never hear the end of it from these two if you don't become a student."

"That's not true!" Tenya says.

"There's no way Deku won't be let in, anyway," Ochako says.

Hizashi chuckles, sweeping them onward. "Come on, come on, we don't have all night."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Gran Torino asked. "Seems like a pretty big step."

"I'm sure," he said. "To pave the way for the children that are our future... I can't think of anything better. And it puts me in the best place to keep watch over things and look for him, wouldn't you say?"

The building was an innocuous thing from the outside, a tall golden-black tent framed by torches and totems on either side. Under their feet, a grate kept them from falling into the tunnels below. A sign hung proudly over the entryway, several words emblazoned in bright blue;

 **ALL MIGHT GUILD** **  
TEACHING THE HEROES OF TOMORROW  
** **PLUS ULTRA!**

"Well, it's your life." Torino shrugged, and headed inside. "I plan on headed for the caves over westward. I hear there's some great hot springs nearby and I don't know about you, but I plan on going on a very long and well-deserved vacation."

The lucario followed, laughing. "Don't think that's gonna keep anyone from coming to see you. All they'll need to hear is that an old explorer lives up there and you'll have whole groups waiting to hear some stories."

"They better not. No one's hearing any stories unless I approve of them, and the day I let some whippersnapper get the best of _me_ is the day I'll dive off the bluff." He eyed the other pokemon. "Speaking of whippersnappers, you do have some help, right? If you expect to run this place all by yourself, I don't plan on sticking around for your incredible guild's just as incredible collapse."

"Of course I hired help!" He spluttered. "I'm not that stupid. Some of them are already here, something about not wanting to get lost later, I believe? The others will be here soon."

"That's my cue to get going, then. I'd hate to have to say hello." Torino shook himself. "Don't be a stranger, alright?"

"I won't if you won't." The lucario sobered. "And, thank you. For everything."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Torino rolled his eyes, but didn't hide the smile on his face as he turned away. "Trust me when I say you'll find your boy one day, so don't stress about it too much. And make sure you take care of yourself, for his sake as much as your own."

"I will."

* * *

"That there is the kitchen." Hizashi points. "Beside it is the dining hall - technically dinner ended a little while ago, but food'll be served for a while longer. That's just in case anyone comes back late and missed their meal because of a mission, or if they get held up during their free time like you three. The guild's technically closed to all non-students after a certain hour, to keep any shady characters from getting in and finding things they shouldn't."

"There's enough space inside, so we all try to eat together, usually," Ochako says, standing beside Izuku. "Even All Might comes out and joins us, even though it's hard for him sometimes."

"Yeeahh, but he likes coming out to see all you kids anyway," Hizashi says. "He's always going on about how you're the future and it's nice to see how good you're all getting and all that, it's all kinds of adorable." He shakes himself. "Anyway, there's those rooms. Any questions this time?"

"Just one." Izuku fidgets.

"Sure thing, kid. What is it?"

"Who is ''All Might''? The name was on the sign outside, but I forgot to ask earlier."

Tenya, on Izuku's other side, raises a claw before pausing. "Ah.."

"He's the one who runs the guild," A luxray says, startling everyone as he slips past and sits down. "It's the name of his team, technically, but since he's the only one on it everyone just uses it like another name."

"Shouutaa, don't do that!" Hizashi whines. "You nearly gave us a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Shouta says, entirely unrepentant. "I just finished talking to him, by the way. He wants to see you, kid." He nods towards the trio.

"Us too?" Ochako asks.

"No, but you might as well come along." Shouta stands. "Come on, I'll show you the way from here. You've pretty much wrapped up the tour, right?"

"Yes, sir!" Tenya nods vigorously.

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

He's staring at one of the tapestries hanging on the walls, psyching himself up for the conversation he knows is going to happen. One ear is trained on the conversation just outside his door.

Nighteye's words still ring in his ears, and weigh down on his own shoulders like the world itself.

"-e's an amazing explorer, and incredibly kind." The exuberant tones of young Tenya filter through the crack in the door. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I-I know, but I'm just a little nervous. Are you sure this is okay?" This voice is so quiet, and so distantly familiar it makes his heart ache.

"Of course it is," he hears Shouta say. "He's the one who asked for you. We already put you in the rosters as a student, and he's aware of the issue with your memory. Relax."

The guildmaster closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, peeking through the thick wood. Three of the auras are familiar, crackling in distinct blues and pinks and grays. One aura is unfamiliar, but it glimmers with such a lively deep green that he has a feeling he would've known exactly who it is, even without the forewarning. He stops looking and sighs.

( _Just another student, just another student..._ )

Shouta pokes his head in. "I've brought the kid."

"Thank you, Shouta," he says. "Send him in, please."

Despite anything he said and thought before, he isn't ready for the one who walks through that door, lost and nervous and looking just the same as he remembers. It hurts so much more than he expected it to.

"Good evening!" He says, bowing and beaming and carefully avoiding the riolu's eyes so he doesn't have to see the blank look in his eyes. "You don't need to look so worried, my boy, you are hardly in trouble. My name is Toshinori Yagi-" ( _You already know that, but you don't, do you?_ )- "and I am the guildmaster here. It is wonderful to meet you, young Izuku!"

"T-thank you, sir!" Izuku yelps, bowing low. Toshinori focuses on ignoring the pang in his chest. "My name is Izuku Midoriya, b-but you knew that already, I guess. Thank you for allowing me into your guild!"

"Just Toshinori is fine," he replies, half on reflex. He places a paw on Izuku's shoulder, and decidedly pretends he isn't thinking about how small he still is compared to him. "Shouta has already explained the circumstances to me. We are more than happy to have you here with us, so please, consider this guild your home for as long as you'll have us, my boy."

Izuku beams, and Toshinori can hear relieved and excited squeaking from the other side of the door. That Izuku has already found good friends in the form of the other students warms his heart.

"Thank you so much," Izuku repeats, shuffling his feet.

"You will always be welcome - it's our pleasure, truly!" Toshinori grins, and lets his paw slip off Izuku's shoulder. "Now that we have our pleasantries out of the way - young Ochako and young Tenya, you can stop hovering by the door and come in as well."

They can't quite keep from smiling when they come in, though their bashful stances tell him all he needs to know.

"Sorry," Ochako says. "We just wanted to make sure Deku would be okay, I promise we didn't hear anything important."

"I believe you," Toshinori says. "You aren't in trouble either. I simply felt that since you were here, I might as well tell you all at once. Izuku will be rooming with you two for now, since you have the extra space, and I've already asked Ken to set up a new bed. Could you also show Izuku around, and partner up with him until he's gotten used to life here?"

"Absoutely!" Tenya salutes. "We will do our utmost to help him, and do everything in our power to make sure he adjusts well to life here at the guild!" Ochako nods eagerly.

"You needn't be so formal, young Tenya. But thank you, both of you." Toshinori says. "We'll introduce you to everyone in the morning, Izuku. Once you're more used to the other students and going on missions, we'll likely start pairing you up with others as well. Whether you go on any requests alone is entirely up to you, but not until Shouta clears you as ready, alright?"

Izuku nods.

"Excellent! That's everything I wanted to speak with you three about, so you're free to grab some dinner and go to bed." He put one paw on his hip and pumped the other in the air. "Make sure you get plenty of rest for tomorrow, so you can do your absolute best! _PLUS ULTRA!_ "

"Yes, sir!"

Toshinori beams at their enthusiasm. They file back out, gently shutting the door behind them, and after double-checking that no one is watching, he finally allows himself to slump to the floor.

"This is so much harder than we thought it would be." He shut his eyes. Izuku had smiled so brightly, with his friends by his side - there was more joy on his face than Toshinori had seen in years. If he tells Izuku now, if he doesn't give him a chance to decide or live life when Toshinori has had _years_ to live his…

He won't tell him, not yet. He will not add to the burden of a child that is already so, so heavy.

"Oh, Nana" Toshinori sighs, "give me strength. What am I supposed to do now?"

* * *

Izuku pressed a paw on the bed closest to the window and furthest from the entry way - the one Tenya and Ochako had indicated as his. The material was softer than it looked, and for the millionth time today he marveled at the unfamiliar textures.

"What do you think, Deku?" Ochako asked. "I know all this is probably a lot, since you're missing a lot of memories and things."

"It's... nice." Izuku said. "There's a lot of things I don't know, but, I'll have time for that later. Right now, I think I'm good." He lay down. Moon and starlight filtered into the room, casting everything in faint shadows. As he stared out into the night, he couldn't help but be amazed by the deep sky and twinkling lights, so different from the sky he'd witnessed earlier.

"Don't be afraid to ask us or anyone about something," Tenya said, to his left. "I can't imagine what it must be like for you, barely knowing the world around you."

"I'm sure things will come back to you eventually. It does mean you get to experience a bunch of cool things for the first time, though!" Ochako added. "Maybe even for the second time!"

Tenya and Izuku both paused, then laughed. "It sounds kind of funny when you put it like that," Izuku snickered, rolling over to look at them better. "I'm doing things for the first time again. That doesn't even make sense!"

"It's not wrong, though," Tenya said, trying to keep his voice down. "Nonetheless, if you don't know what something is, you can always count on us."

"Really?"

"Of course!" Ochako flopped onto her bed. "That's what friends and partners and teammates are for, right?"

"Those are all the same thing," Tenya noted. Ochako stuck her tongue out. "But you're still right. Of course we mean it." Then he turned away. "Now, we have a long day ahead of us, so we'd best go to sleep. Goodnight, you two!"

"Goodnight, Tenya, goodnight, Deku."

"G-goodnight!"

Izuku rolled onto his back and shut his eyes. He listened to the low breathing of his friends and the faint and yet unfamiliar noises of the outside world, and and fell asleep.


End file.
